Shoe or like rack



Sept. 3, 1940- H. N. GLYDENVAND SHOE 0R LIKE max Filed April 26, 1939INVENT OR.

H. N. EHJLDENVHND Patented Sept. 3, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFER 3Claims.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a shoe or like rackthat may be adjustably secured to a supporting structure for correctlysupporting a shoe.

A further object of this invention is to provide a shoe rack for eitherdisplaying the shoe or supporting it while it is not in use.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a shoe rack thatwill support all sizes and shapes of shoes.

A still further object of my invention is to pro- Vide a shoe or likerack that is extremely economical in manufacture, durable and efiicientin use and refined in appearance.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combinationof the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated areattained as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claimsand illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational View of my shoe or like rack secured to asupporting structure and showing how a shoe is supported thereby.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged front elevational View of my shoe rack more fullyillustrating its structure.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged top sectional View of my shoe rack taken on theapproximate line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged top plan view of the top supporting member of myshoe rack before it is formed more clearly showing its structure.

Heretofore shoes have been stored or displayed on large supporting basesor placed in pouches. These former methods of holding shoes have beenobjectionable due to the bulk of the racks requiring a great amount ofspace. Also these racks do not hold the shoe in the proper shape. Therack type of holder permits the shoe to curl at the sole and allows theside portions of the shoe to sag and gap. With the pouch type of holderthe shoes are flattened and broken down and the shoes are not readilyVisible for selection. Also these devices are costly and do not fit allsizes and types of shoes.

I have overcome such disadvantages as will be appreciated and as will behereinafter set forth.

Referring to the drawing, I have used the numeral IE to designate asupporting structure which may be a wall, rack bar, box, shelf or thelike.

My shoe rack can be formed from one sheet of material, such as steel,plastic or the like, and comprises an elongated arm ll, having an enandhas cut therein a 'slot or like I3, as shown in 5 i Fig. 2.

A screw M or the like may be introduced through this slot l3 forsecuring the rack to the supporting structure it and the arm II can bemoved to the desired attitude or inclination, as shown by dotted linesin Fig. 1 and the screw I4 then tightened. It will here be noted that aseries of holes may be employed for this adjustment in lieu of the slotI3.

I have used the numeral !5 to designate a yoke or rest bar formed on thelower end of the arm H and designed to encompass the rearward portion ofthe counter of a shoe adjacent the heel. This rest has its two arms orfingers extending outwardly and curved forwardly to follow the loweroutline of the counter of the shoe. The end portions of this yoke orrest bar are curved outwardly to facilitate the placing of the shoetherein and this yoke is flexible in order that it may assume the shapeof the shoe and flex as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3.

I have used the numeral Hi to indicate a shoe, as shown by dotted linesin Fig. 1 of the drawing. The practical use of my device is as follows:

The U-shaped arm II is secured to any supporting structure, thus holdingthe rack in position. The finger or hook i2 is introduced into the upperrear side of the counter of the shoe and the counter of the shoe next tothe heel is brought to rest in the yoke portion l5. When a ladys shoe isplaced in the rack, this yoke must be small and when a mans shoe isplaced on the rack the yoke must be larger. To accommodate these varyingsizes of shoes, I have made this yoke portion flexible in order that theyoke will automatically conform to the size and shape of shoe.

Obviously, the yoke portion may be V-shaped and of rigid structure or ofsuch other shape necessary to give adequate support to the lower portionof the counter of the shoe and also the shape of the arm Il may bevaried to suit individual conditions.

It will be noted by reference to the drawing that the tab finger, orhook 52 may have its side portions so notched and formed as to receivethe upper rear portion of the counter of the shoe and retain it inposition. These notches receive the marginal edges of the shoe counterand retain this portion of the shoe firmly and securely.

35? Without departing from the real spirit and pur- Theangle at which itis desired to have the shoe l6 inclined may be changed at the will ofible it is easy to select a given shoe from a Variety of shoes and theshoes may be placed on the rack or removed therefrom with a minimum ofeffort and without chance of injuring the shoe.

My shoe rack is of great utility both as a shoe rack for the home andfor use in displaying shoes. Very little contact between the shoe andthe rack makes the whole shoe readily visible and lends the advantage ofcompactness to multiple shoe retaining racks.

"Thus, it will be seen that I have provided a shoe rack which fulfills'all of my-ob-jects and presents many more obvious advantages and whichfulfills several important functions. The

shoe is supported in the proper attitude and is held there firmly, therack is adjustable to meet varying conditions, is refined in appearanceand tends to hold the shoe in the proper Way toprevent the sagging ordistortion of the shoe and, furthermore, my rack takes up very littlespace when it is not being used for supporting shoes.

Some changes may be made in the construction and improvement of my shoeor like rack pose of my invention and it is my intention to cover byclaims any modified forms of structure 'or use of mechanical equivalentswhich may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, an arm element designed to besecured to a supporting structure, means for adjusting said arm relativeto said supporting structure, a shoe engaging tab formed on one end ofsaid arm and having notches therein for receiving the upper rearwardportion of a shoe or like, and a yoke element secured to the other endof said arm and designed to engage the lower rear portion of the counterof the shoe.

2. A shoe rack comprising a U-shaped member having a slot at the bightof the U for adjustable attachment to a vertical surface, the upper endof the U member being provided with a hook element for engaging over theupper part of the counter of a shoe and the lower end of the U elementbeing provided with a yoke for engaging the lower part of the counter ofa shoe near the heel.

3. -A shoe rack comprising a U-shaped member having a slot at the bightof the U for adjustable attachment to a vertical surface, the upperendof the U member being provided with a hook element for engaging over theupper part of the counter of a shoe and the lower end of the U, elementbeing provided With a flexible yoke for engaging and conforming to theshape of the lower part of the counter of a shoe near the heel.

HJALMAR N. GYLDEN'VAND.

